Bulldogs quarterback Jason Ferreira about to get the ball playing out of the shotgun formation. Photo by Anthony Valade.
The North Bay Bulldogs avoided falling to 0-3 for the season with a hard fought 7-1 victory over the Toronto Maddogs Saturday evening. The Bulldogs got another outstanding performance by their defence which was able to shutdown the Maddogs offence for the entire game. On the offensive side of the ball Matt Gordon had a huge game, with over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Sterling Bilz put forth a courageous effort which served as motivation for the team.
For the second straight week the Bulldogs were unable to get any type of consistent effort from their offence in the first half, but the defence was once again able to keep them in the game.
After the two teams exchanged possessions the game got interesting on the Maddogs second drive. The Bulldogs were able to force a fourth down and what seemed to be a likely punting situation, however instead of taking the 4th and 2, North Bay accepted a holding penalty which gave Toronto a 3rd and 12. On the next play Toronto quarterback Rolando Daley hit Sean Lewis for a 16 yard gain and the Bulldogs looked to be in trouble, but once again the defence stepped up. This time it was veteran safety Brian Samson who came up big, as three plays after the first down Samson picked up the first of three Bulldogs interceptions on the night.
Unfortunately, the offence was not able to take advantage of the play of their defence. After Dave Wilson made an acrobatic catch for a 34 yard gain and Sterling Bilz, who was virtually playing on one leg, ran for an 8 yard gain, the offence stalled. On the next play quarterback Jason Ferreira was sacked for an 8 yard loss, and followed that up by throwing an interception which gave the ball back to the Maddogs.
The rest of the half featured more great defence by both teams. The Bulldogs had a great chance to put points on the board by starting a drive on the Maddogs 36 yard line but the final result was a failed fake field goal attempt. North Bay had two more attempts to put the ball in the end zone, but a turnover on downs and a failed "Hail Mary" attempt later, we were still scoreless after one half of play.
The Toronto Maddogs started the second half with Dean McLaren replacing Rolando Daley at quarterback. Daley who was 6 of 10 for 42 yards in the first half did stay in the game at the running back position, however the change seemed to hurt the Maddogs offence more then it helped. McLaren was to say the least, ineffective in the second half, completing just 3 of 17 pass attempts for 18 yards and while throwing two interceptions.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring on their second drive of the half. The Maddogs took a 15 yard penalty on the drive moving the ball into their own territory. On the next play Ferreira fumbled the ball and it looked like the Bulldogs were destined for failure once again. However, Ferreira was able to compose himself and found Matt Gordon streaking down the sidelines for a 32 yard touchdown pass on the very next play and the Bulldogs led 7-0.
From that point on North Bay controlled the game, and although they were not able to put any more points on the board, the defence held the Maddogs to a single point and the Bulldogs came away victorious. Jason Ferreira finished the game having completed 14 of 29 pass attempts for 246 yards, and throwing for one touchdown and two interceptions.
After the game Sterling Bilz was a main topic of conversation. The star running back was unable to practice all week due to a leg injury, but was still able to haul in 25 yards receiving and rushed for another 47. Wide receiver and game MVP Matt Gordon noted how Bilz simply being on the field served as motivation.
“It pumped the rest of the team up,” said Gordon regarding seeing Bilz playing with his injury.
“When see you a guy all week hobbling around practice just trying to make sure he knows what he’s doing but he can’t take the hits; and then he’s out here taking hits every play and only taking a breather a couple of times, he was out there like a warrior. It gives you that moral boost that you need.”
Gordon was also pleased with the way that he and quarterback Jason Ferreira were able to connect during the game.
“We’ve been clicking a lot in practice,” said Gordon regarding the chemistry between Ferreira and himself.
“We are just trying to get our timing down as best we can. We thought we saw some holes but they just weren’t there early, but we just kept at it and it clicked in the second half and we were able to score.”
Quarterback Jason Ferreira was happy with the way that he was able to hook up with Gordon but still feels there is work to do with the offence.
“I think we’re still struggling offensively quite a bit,” said Ferreira based on the teams performance over the last two weeks.
“We’re still not healthy and that’s not helping us. We just can’t get the reps in practice together with everybody. It was a little better tonight, we had some good possessions. Matt made a great catch for a touchdown tonight. As soon as we get everybody healthy on offence will start to click a little better.”
Was it or was it not a Fumble?
The game was not without controversy either. With just over a minute left to play Ferreira looked to have intentionally grounded the ball which he was penalized for. However, the official never blew his whistle and the Maddogs picked up the ball and ran into the end zone thinking that the play was considered a fumble because the ball never crossed the line of scrimmage. The Bulldogs stated that because it was a forward pass it did not matter if the ball passed the line of scrimmage. After a meeting between the officials, it was determined the play was not a fumble and therefore the Bulldogs were able to hold on for the victory.
The Bulldogs will look to even their record at 2-2 heading into their bye week as they will be on the road to face the Milton Marauders. The Marauders are 0-2 having been outscored 78-6 in their two contests. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. at Milton District H.S. Saturday, June 23rd.
